It’s a sad sign of our times that children are spending less and less time playing outdoors in nature. The lure of technology, busy lives and a lack of natural spaces are often blamed for this trend, but there’s really no excuse. All technology has an off switch, lives can be made simpler and, even in the city, there are usually parks or wayside spaces nearby.
It’s easy to get a child to spend a sunny summer day at the beach, but other seasons and outdoor settings seldom have the same pull. The hassle of getting a child dressed for the winter cold can be discouraging, but the health benefits alone are worth the effort.
As a mother of three and grandmother of two, I’ve seen for myself the benefits of getting children one-on-one with nature. Confronted with the majesty of the great outdoors, a child quickly realizes that they’re not the center of the universe. Bad moods are quickly abandoned as the focus shifts to the natural world, whether in the form of a sunset, a forest or a daisy.
Years ago, while homeschooling my sons, I saw how going outdoors allowed them to burn off energy while refreshing their minds from a morning of book work. As a preschool teacher I see how 3 to 5 year olds delight in simply running and jumping outdoors and are thrilled at the discovery of a squirrel or pinecone in their surroundings.
However, over the years, I’ve also seen children too unaccustomed to the outdoors shrink back at the touch of evergreen needles and wince at the sunshine. It doesn’t have to be this way. Every child has the potential to be comfortable in nature. Some may even find their better selves there.
This post is the first in a series aimed at getting children outdoors. Next time, I’ll offer an easy way to get a resistant child interested regardless of the season.
Text and photos copyright Amy-Lynn Bell 2012
That is inspirational, Amy. Your grandchildren must LOVE being around you, with all the magical natural world so close. I can just see how much fun you are happing with them, and how you enjoy seeing the world anew and afresh through their eyes and their experiences. 🙂
Reggie, adults need as much inspiration as children do to get out there. Yes we do have fun outdoors. The world looks so different from their height so they so often see things I don’t.
Very well said! I couldn’t agree more. I do recall as a kid being outdoors much of the time, and it unquestionably impacted my outdoor orientation ’till this day.
Glad you agree catharus 🙂 My outdoor time as a child certainly impacted my life as an adult too. I’d be a different person today without those experiences. The most amazing thing is that it didn’t cost my parents anything and they didn’t have to drive me there!
I’m excited to read your series. My heart aches for kids now that have this total nature deficit – like a piece of their soul missing.
Have you read or heard of this book, Amy Lynn?
*Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder* by Richard Louv.
I haven’t yet but it sounds interesting. My childhood was spent in the woods… In fact, I was not allowed to come inside and read (little bookworm that I was) unless it was raining or snowing or bitterly cold…
Lovely post. I have great fun taking Poppy outdoors for as long as possible. We both come alive. Then, she tends to go to sleep in her pram! Can’t wait to show her more of Nova Scotia!
Lynne,
‘we both come alive.’
That is it exactly 🙂
I’ll bet you’re the bestest outdoor grandma in the whole world. (My friend, Catherine may be tied, as she attempts to spend as much time as possible outdoors with her grandkids.) I loved that our kids grew up wild & free in the woods. It was an amazing treasure to watch them create and explore. Know it was the same with your kids.
Kathy, having our kids grow up wild and free in the woods was the right decision on both our parts. Despite the fact that living in a remote area with no bus service had its disadvantages once they became teenagers, I have no regrets on raising my kids in this type of environment. You’re right in that it was an ‘amazing treasure.’
Good idea for a post. Parents seem to have so little time for this kind of family activity.
Pattisj, getting the parents out there is sometimes half the battle 😉
It was 4 celsius today and I was outside in the pouring rain trying to dig in the dirt … er mud. Could only get down four inches as the ground was frozen. So I played with the dogs. Coat soaked through. Had to change when I came in. I like being outside …
Your grandkids are lucky to have you …
Good grief Sybil! I’m assuming that was after I left. It seemed a lot colder than that with the windchill.
Your dogs are lucky to have you 🙂
Outdoors are great for adults too 🙂 I enjoy being out even when it’s -20C. It’s unbearable though when it’s a lower temperature…
Nadezhda, the outdoors really are great for adults, but we seem to forget this as we get older. The cold can be such a deterrent at this time of year here too. I dislike the wind more than the cold and we have plenty of that in Nova Scotia.
Most of my happiest times as a child were spent outdoors. I was lucky enough to have grown up with lots of surrounding land and woods to explore. I like this idea for a series like this, to remind parents how necessary it is for kids to get an appreciation for nature.
Dustytoes, an appreciation for nature is best started in childhood. It used to happen without parents’ thinking about it, but these days, with fewer spaces left wild, it’s becoming more and more difficult. We were both very lucky to spend so much time outdoors as children.
I could not agree more. I found your blog through the Nature Blog Network. Looking forward to reading more. Thank you!
Dawn, thanks for letting me know you are on side 🙂
I must admit, my little girl doesn’t get out as much as I’d like sometimes, but we do try to encourage it. She enjoys technology, TV, indoor toys, etc, but she will also spend hours playing with sticks and leaves, watching ladybirds, etc!
Pepsoid, those ladybirds are nature’s secret weapon against technology’s present grasp on children.
😉